now officially announced --
Purchase of Class 09 diesel
The SVR Holdings and Guarantee Companies, after a full assessment, has financed the acquisition of diesel locomotive 09012 from Harry Needles
The shunter will be used to supplement the fleet of Class 08ís and 11, allowing repair and maintenance to be carried out on the 08ís currently in service. Its ability to travel at line speed will give the Permanent Way Team a useful diesel for certain operations.

In recent years I have noticed the decline of the Class 09 shunters & thought one of those would have been useful to the railway.

Would it be able to act as a "thunderbird"? I have no idea what braking system is fitted. The higher speed is certainly an advantage over the other shunters._________________Sharpo (happily avoiding facebook & twitter)

From the photo it appears to have air brake pipes - specifically fitted with high level as well as low level pipes. The high level pipes were used when moving EMUs around. The 08 11 and 09 have an air service brake even if only piped for vac.

There is clearly a vac pipe fitted but it has a white swan neck which can indicate a through pipe but in the later days the convention of red for service white for piped only was not allways followed_________________Dave Scott
Bulleid and Gresley used auto couplers
Guard & dogsbody

It would be something of a spectacular PR own goal for it not to . If anything an opportune renaming would generate a substantial amount of goodwill for the railway given the somewhat iconic status of the great man himself

What a good time to do it if were possible at the members weekend_________________regards

Did 09012 arrive in operational condition?_________________Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Severn Valley Railway group of companies, Hampton Loade Station Fund or Barry Railway Carriage Trust.

Thanks. From the one image I had seen from Barrow Hill it looked like faded blue, but as you say, departmental grey.
In the SVR News it is mentioned that Mr Hardy is an SVR member, so as an LNER trained railwayman, a repaint in garter blue, or Great Eastern blue would be a rather fitting tribute to him.
Mind you, after serving at Ipswich on the ex-Great Eastern, he did move to the Southern, working at Stewarts Lane, so my "livery" supposition starts to get complicated!